The LSU Tigers were kept just out of reach on Monday night, falling to the Rice Owls 10-6.
The Owls got on the board first with a sac fly from Dayne Wunderlich in the bottom of the second to score Connor Teykl. Later in the inning, Hunter Kopycinski hit an RBI single to make it 2-0. Charlie Warren ended the offensive flurry with an RBI double.
LSU responded in the top of the fourth with a single through the right side from Greg Deichmann to score Kramer Robertson. But Tristan Gray furthered the gap in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot to right field.
The Tigers quickly fired back with a two run bomb from Kramer Robertson in the top of the fifth to make it a one-run game. They would tie it up later in the inning when Mike Papierski was walked with the bases loaded to scored Jordan Romero.
But the Owls would gain control of the game back in the bottom half of the inning with another three run inning highlighted by Tekyl’s RBI double to right field.
Rice would get another three-run inning in the bottom of the seventh to make it 10-4. However, Jake Fraley would cut into the Owls lead with a two run blast over the right field wall in the top of the eighth. But that was all the Tigers were able do.
Riley Smith dropped to 2-1 on the year allowing three runs off of three hits and struck out one in two and a third innings of work.
The Tigers will take on Rice in a winner-take-all game on Tuesday with first pitch set for 4 pm.
-Clint Domingue